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light hammer

Today, I built this sterling ring around a gorgeous oval faceted peridot – one of my favorite stones. So brilliant and cheerful! I’m pleased to say I was able to use many of the great techniques and tips I picked up at my first class in gem setting last weekend. I was dying to try them and boy, did they ever work well! After fabricating a stepped bezel on top of a half-round sterling shank, I set this lovely peridot hammering directly onto the top of the bezel. I’ve done this before, but always hammered an implement applied against the filed edge of the bezel. This time, I just used a small, lightweight goldsmith’s hammer to lightly hammer the bezel directly. Works really well – so exciting! I have a garnet version on the go, so stay tuned. Here’s today’s final result: